Plan: establish objectives and processes required
Prior to implementing, an initial review or gap analysis of the organization’s processes and products is recommended, to assist in identifying all elements of the current operation and, if possible, future operations, that may interact with the environment, termed “environmental aspects”. This review assists the organization in establishing their environmental objectives, goals, and targets, which should ideally be measurable; helps with the development of control and management procedures and processes; and serves to highlight any relevant legal requirement.

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Do: implement the processes
During this stage, the organization identifies the resources required and works out those members of the organization responsible for the EMS’ implementation and control. This includes establishing procedures and processes, the education of employees, communication and participation across all levels of the organization.

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Check: measure and monitor the processes and report results
During the ‘check’ stage, performance is monitored and periodically measured to ensure that the organization’s environmental targets and objectives are being met.

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Act: take action to improve performance of EMS based on results
After the checking stage, a management review is conducted to ensure that the objectives of the EMS are being met, the extent to which they are being met, in order to make recommendations for further improvement of the system. These recommendations are incorporated through continual improvement and the EMS moves forward.